Magnetic moods.

• Autores: Emily Harrison
• Localización: Scientific American, ISSN 0036-8733, Vol. 290, Nº. 4, 2004, págs. 28-28
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • The article discusses a study by imaging physicist Michael Rohan and Perry Renshaw which suggests that the unique induced electrical fields associated with particular types of magnetic resonance imaging sessions can improve the mood of patients with bipolar disorder. The scan used in the study was an echo-planar magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (EP-MRSI) procedure, a fairly new method of MRI that McLean researchers were using to observe the effects of certain pharmaceuticals on bipolar subjects at the time of the serendipitous observation. The EP-MRSI treatment had no apparent adverse effects, unlike chemical antidepressants and shock therapy, it also seems better than another effort at electromagnetic bipolar therapy: repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, in which an electromagnetic coil held near the head induces an intense electrical field (500 volts per meter) focused in the cortical region just below the instrument. Since the completion of the preliminary study, McLean investigators have constructed a small tabletop device that delivers the same critical electromagnetic fields as a conventional MRI scanner and found it to be effective in animal trials. In fact, the electromagnetic therapy compared well with Prozac in reducing anxiety in rats. Rohan hopes to use the device in human trials within the year.